K-Gr 4—Chin travels from the level of what makes us human down to the building blocks of the universe and then
pulls back out, to the outer spheres of the cosmos. In page after page of cascading spreads, science and poetry
blend flawlessly to deliver information with grace and confidence.

A children's book in the "Powers of Ten" genre, working in the sub-human size scale, starting with a small bird and carrying on all the way to quarks and gluons, then working its way back up again. Jason Chin's illustrations are excellent and he is nothing if not meticulous. Enjoyable for children and adults. ( )

This is an excellent non-fiction exploration of the constituents of life, narrated by a little girl visiting what looks very much like the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson. It begins with the largest object that will be described, an 8-centimeter long Calliope Hummingbird, the smallest bird in the US. (Guides in the lower right-hand corner of the first two double-page spreads show the conversion of centimeters to inches and millimeters to centimeters.)

The author/illustrator then moves on, downward in size, to the smallest butterfly, the smallest bee, the smallest hairs on your body, and so on, describing successively smaller objects. Each object is meticulously depicted, and is overlaid with text giving details and background.

Thus readers will learn what cells are and how many are in the human body; what bacteria are; and all about the parts inside cells and how they work. They will explore molecules, DNA, and atoms as well as the tiny constituent parts of atoms. Finally Chen guides readers to consider how all these tiny parts come together to make wholes:

“Atoms and molecules combine to make Earth and everything on it, from the air you breathe to the water you drink, from the ground beneath your feet…to life itself . . . All living things, from the tallest trees and longest whales. . . to the smallest birds, butterflies, and bees, are made of cells - just like you.”

He adds, “You are made of the same stuff as everything else in the universe.” And yet, as he points out, you are also “a singular person, who can think and feel and discover . . . the universe within.”

Back matter includes additional background and notes about the text and the watercolor and gouache illustrations.

Evaluation: Author/illustrator Jason Chin is the well-deserving recipient of multiple awards for both his writing and his artwork. This book for readers 8 and over is extremely accessible, with clear explanations of complex ideas and outstanding artwork, making it a natural for the classroom. What kid doesn't want to understand how the world works, asking parents hundreds of questions about it? This book will help with the answers. ( )

I have read and enjoyed four other books by this author/illustrator and have a couple more on my to read list.

Kudos to Jason Chin for writing a book with this subject matter that is suitable for elementary school students. I didn’t learn hardly any of this information until high school and college. I “relearned” some things as I read the book.

As usual with this illustrator the illustrations are stunning and the information awe inspiring.

The notes in the back give a lot of additional information. The book proper is not a storybook. It’s a textbook. It is interesting though. I love the creative way the material is presented going from small to smaller & smaller & smaller & smaller and then to bigger again or at least the big picture being seen.

I appreciate the inclusion of a girl in a wheelchair and in the Acknowledgments section there is a note about a foundation that helps individuals with spiral cord injuries pursue active lifestyles. I do understand why the book’s character is set apart from the others at the start. She’s had to take the wheelchair ramp and all of the others have used the stairs but (and this is a nit-picky quibble) I do wish in the last picture that all five characters were placed in close proximity and that the main character was not still off more on her own. I don’t think showing her that way is necessary to indicate that she is the main character. ( )

GREAT!! ( )